Two rental housing towers proposed next to Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station

GWL Realty Advisors is changing gears on its stalled project of redeveloping the site formerly occupied by Party Bazaar in the False Creek Flats, just east of downtown Vancouver.

In 2022, construction began at the site of 1220 Station Street (previously addressed as 1296 Station Street) — located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Terminal Avenue and Station Street — for a new crystal-shaped, 13-storey office tower with 270,000 sq ft of premium AAA-calibre office space.

This site is also strategically located immediately east of SkyTrain’s Main Street-Science World Station, and immediately south of Pacific Central Station.

However, due to the pandemic-induced changes in market demand for office space, construction work did not go any further than site preparation, and the plan to build a new office tower was subsequently cancelled.

But now, there is brand new approach to proceed with the site’s redevelopment.

1220 station street vancouver gwl realty advisors

Site of 1220 Station Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Existing condition:

Site of 1220 Station Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

December 2024 concept for mixed-use rental housing towers at 1220 Station Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/GWL Realty Advisors)

Just before Christmas 2024, GWL Realty Advisors announced it has submitted a new rezoning application to build two mixed-use towers up to 28 storeys. They are seeking a rezoning of the property from its current office-use designation to mixed-use.

There would be about 400 secured purpose-built rental homes within the two towers, which would be perched on top of a base podium with commercial uses, including a possible grocery store, and some office space for medical or laboratory uses.

The proposed building heights, density, and uses deviate from what is prescribed by the municipal government’s 2017-approved False Creek Flats Plan. Under the area plan, this particular lot immediately south of Pacific Central Station — termed as the “Pacific Central Station Frame” — is prescribed for hotel, office, and creative employment space uses, a conditional density of up to seven times the size of the lot (7.0 FAR), and a height of up to 170 ft to the underside of protected mountain view cone 22.

However, Vancouver City Council’s July 2024 amendments that relax the view cone policies now enable greater height for this site. View Cone 22 now emanates from the intersection of Main Street and East 6th Avenue, instead of the intersection with Kingsway, but more importantly the view cone’s bottom border has been shifted upward to align with the tallest of the City Gate towers.

Local architectural firm Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership designed both the previous office tower concept and the new mixed-use rental housing towers concept.

2024 changes to View Cone 22 emanating from Main Street near Kingsway. (City of Vancouver)

Cancelled office tower project:

Artistic rendering of The Onyx at 1296 Station Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership / Rize Alliance)

New proposal for mixed-use rental housing towers:

December 2024 concept for mixed-use rental housing towers at 1220 Station Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/GWL Realty Advisors)

The pivot from a 100% office and retail project to mixed-use rental housing with a relatively minor commercial space component is intended to help meet the need of not only the general market demand for rental housing, but also the workforce housing of the future St. Paul’s Hospital campus immediately to the north of Pacific Central Station.

The new hospital — replacing the existing facility on Burrard Street in downtown Vancouver — is expected to reach completion and open in 2027. Upon the full buildout of the future phases of hospital expansion and the research and clinical office towers, the Providence Health Care-operated campus is expected to employ as many as 10,000 people. The first research and clinical office tower will open in 2028, a year after the first phase of the main hospital building.

“Our proposal supports the area’s future hospital community by providing much-needed rental accommodation for those who will work at or visit the hospital, as well as medical office space and retail services. The vision is to complement St. Paul’s and its diverse population and needs,” said Geoff Heu, vice president of development for GWL Realty Advisors, in a statement.

“Located immediately adjacent to the Main Street-Science World SkyTrain Station, this project will offer a tremendous opportunity to support the emerging healthcare district with several complementary uses, and it will play an important role in the revitalization of the area. We look forward to working with the City of Vancouver to bring this forward.”

December 2024 concept for mixed-use rental housing towers at 1220 Station Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/GWL Realty Advisors)

GWL Realty Advisors’ new proposal for 1220 Station Street is the second new major rental housing project for the immediate area of this SkyTrain station.

Just to the south, Greystar Real Estate Partners has submitted a rezoning application to redevelop the longtime McDonald’s restaurant property at 1527 Main Street into a pair of towers reaching up to 22 storeys. It will contain 371 secured purpose-built rental homes and a new replacement flagship McDonald’s integrated within the base level of the complex.

In 2021, GWL Realty Advisors completed their 21-storey Chronicle tower at 825 Nicole Street (on Robson Street) with 128 secured purpose-built market rental homes. Just to the west at the site of 1525-1555 Robson Street (on Cardero Street), they are looking to build two towers reaching up to 29 storeys with 393 secured purpose-built rental homes, a grocery store mostly on the second level, and additional commercial retail/restaurant space on the ground level.